Wood structures and their manufacture

ABSTRACT

OVERLAYS FOR WOOD PRODUCTS ARE FORMED FROM A MIXTURE OF WOOD FIVERS HAVING A BULK DENSITY OF UP TO ABOUT 0.16 GRAMS/CC. AND AN AQUEOUS PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE RESOLE RESIN SOLUTION. PREFERABLY THE RESOLE RESIN IS AN ACID CATALYZABLE SULFONATED PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE RESOLE RESIN. THE OVERLAY IS FORMED BY DEPOSITING A COATING OF A THERMOSETTING RESIN ONTO A WOOD SUBSTRATE, DEPOSITING A MIXTURE OF WOOD FIBERS AND A PHENOLIC RESOLE RESIN ONTO THE COATED SUBSTRATE, DEPOSITING A QUANTITY OF WATER ONTO THE WOOD FIBER-RESIN ADMIXTURE, AND SUBJECTING THE SAME TO HEAT AND PRESSURE. THE OVERLAY EXHIBITS EXCEPTIONAL FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES, I.E. TENSILE STRENGTH.

United States Patent Ofice 3,563,788 WOOD STRUCTURES AND THEIR MANUFACTURE Gordon E. Brown and Richard R. Huff, Seattle, Wash.,

assignors to Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 311,240, Sept. 24, 1963. This application Aug. 28, 1968, Ser. No. 755,792

Int. Cl. D21j 3/00 US. Cl. 117--72 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Overlays for Wood products are formed from a mixture of wood fibers having a bulk density of up to about 0.16 grams/cc. and an aqueous phenol-formaldehyde resole resin solution. Preferably the resole resin is an acid catalyzable sulfonated phenol-formaldehyde resole resin. The overlay is formed by depositing a coating of a thermosetting resin onto a wood substrate, depositing a mixture of wood fibers and a phenolic resole resin onto the coated substrate, depositing a quantity of water onto the Wood fiber-resin admixture, and subjecting the same to heat and pressure. The overlay exhibits exceptional functional properties, i.e. tensile strength.

This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 311,240, filed Sept. 24, 1963, now United States Patent No. 3,414,461

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to overlays for wooden substrates.

In copending application Ser. No. 311,240, there is disclosed the method for making a wood product having a functional overlay thereon which comprises applying to the surface of a wood substrate a coating of an aqueous thermosetting resin solution in proportions of from about 0.5 to pounds, based upon resin solids, per 1,000 square feet of substrate surface; then applying to the thus coated surface a layer of a mixture comprising 1) wood fibers having a bulk density of up to about 0.16 grams/cc. and (2) from about 5 to 50 weight percent of resin solids, based upon dry wood fibers, of an aqueous phenol-formaldehyde resole resin solution; then applying to the surface of the fibrous layer a coating of an aqueous phenol-formaldehyde resole resin sor lution in proportion of from 1 to pounds, based upon resin solids, per 1,000 square feet of substrate surface; and then subjecting such assembly to heat and pressure to consolidate the assembly. The aqueous phenolformaldehyde resole resin employed is an alkalinecatalyzed phenol-formaldehyde condensate having a number average molecular weight of up to about 5,000 and containing an average of from 1.3 to 3.0 mols of combined formaldehyde per mol of phenol. A critical requirement of the method disclosed is that the total moisture content of the overlay assembly (initial resin coating, fiber-resin mixture, and final resin coating) as measured just prior to hot-pressing and expressed as percent by weight of water based upon the dry wood fiber is within the range of from about 3,563,788 Patented Feb. 16, 1971 wherein Mn is the number average molecular weight of the phenol-formaldehyde resole resins employed.

The overlaid wood products disclosed in said copending application possess a combination of functional properties, such as improved tensile strength, and aesthetic properties, such as improved covering of defects and blemishes of wood substrates. Such a combination of desirable properties were unknown to the prior art taught overlays such as pre-formed sheet material, generally paper, impregnated with a resin which provides improved functional properties but are costly and deficient in covering and masking many surface defects and blemishes of Wood substrates or finely divided wood materials, such as sawdust, in admixture with a resin as disclosed in United States Patents 2,419,614 and 2, 606,138 which provide good coverage of surface defects and blemishes but are deficient in tensile strength.

A more complete understanding of such improved functional overlay wood products and method of making same can be obtained from the full disclosure of co-- pending application Ser. No. 311,240, which full disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.

SUMMARY This invention is directed to improved overlays for Wood substrates and an improved method for the manufacture of such overlays.

Typical objects of this invention are to provide (1) improved overlays possessing properties for wooden substrates, (2) improved method for manufacturing overlays possessing functional properties, (3) improved method for upgrading the functional and aesthetic characteristics of WOOd substrates, such as plywood and hardboard, and (4) wooden structures with surface integrity and durability.

In accordance with this invention, the method of making a wood product having a functional overlay thereon comprises (a) applying to at least one surface of a wood substrate a coating of an aqueous thermosetting resin (hereinafter referred to as Resin A), (b) applying to said coated surface a layer of a mix- 00 ture comprising (1) wood fibers having a bulk density of up to about 0.16 grams/cc. and (2) from about 5 to weight percent, of resin solids based upon the dry weight of the wood fiber, of an aqueous phenol-formaldehyde resin (hereinafter referred to as Resin B), (c) applying to the surface of the Wood fiber/ phenolic resin layer a coating of 0 to 20 pounds of water per 1,000 square feet of surface, and

(d) subjecting the resulting assembly to heat and pressure to consolidate and cure the assembly. Preferably, the aqueous phenol-formaldehyde resin solution is employed at a pH of up to about 3 and is a sulfonated phenol-formaldehyde resin having a number average molecular weight of from about 140 to 5000 and containing an average of from 1.3 to 3 mols of combined formaldehyde and from 0.1 to 0.3 mol of combined sulfur per mol of phenol.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following examples are presented in illustration of the invention and as such are not intended as specific limitations thereon.

Example I A 5-ply Douglas fir plywood measuring 5" x is uniformly spray coated with about 0.8 gram, per panel, of an aqueous alkaline solution of a phenolic resin containing about 30% resin solids by weight and prepared by condensing 1 molar proportion of phenol with about 2.1 molar proportions of formaldehyde in the presence of 0.6 molar proportion of sodium hydroxide under reflux conditions. To the coated panel is then applied, using a gravity duster, about 10 grams of a mixture of wood fibers having a bulk density of about 0.065 gms./cc. and a resin solution of a phenolic resin containing about 39% resin solids by weight and prepared by condensing 1 molar proportion of phenol with about 2.25 molar proportions of formaldehyde in the presence of 0.2 molar proportion of sodium hydroxide under reflux conditions. The wood fiber-phenolic resin mixture contains about 22% resin solids by weight and about 8.5% water by weight. An overspray of 1.2 grams of an aqueous solution containing about 40% resin solids by weight of the same phenolic resin used in the wood fiber-phenolic resin mixture is then applied. Finally, the entire assembly is hot pressed for about 8 minutes at 300 F. and 175 p.s.i.

Example II Example I is repeated except that the overspray used consists of 0.6 gram of water. The overlaid plywood panel obtained exhibits functional and aesthetic properties comparable to those obtained in Example I. A marked processing advantage is realized by the elimination of the overlay sticking to the press.

Example III This example illustrates the preparation of a sulfonated phenol-formaldehyde resole resin.

Material: Parts First phenol 108 Sulfuric acid (93% aqueous solution) 58 First water 148 Aqueous sodium hydroxide (50%) 71 Aqueous formaldehyde (50%) 288 Second phenol 165 Second water 162 The first phenol and the sulfuric acid are charged to a stainless steel reactor equipped with means for agitation, cooling and reflux and then heated to 210 F. and held thereat, amid agitation, for about 60 minutes. The first water is then charged followed by thorough mixing. Next charge the sodium hydroxide slowly, maintaining the batch temperature below about 205 F. with cooling and/or refluxing. Check the pH and adjust if necessary to a pH of from 8.5-9.5. Adjust the batch temperature to below 130 F. and charge the formaldehyde. Heat to about 195-200 F., maintaining this temperature for about 1 hour, at which point the second phenol is charged, and then continue heating at said temperature for an additional 2% hours. Then charge the second water and heat at 190-200 F. until a 70 F. viscosity of about 30 on the MacMichael 30d scale is reached. Finally, cool the batch rapidly to about 60 70 F. The resulting 42% solids aqueous resin has a pH of about 8.0 and a mol ratio of l:l.65:0.l9 phenol; formaldehyde:sulfuric.

4 Example IV This example illustrates the preparation of a sulfonated phenol-formaldehyde resole resin.

Material: Parts 5 First phenol 99 Sulfuric acid (93% aqueous solution) 53 First Water 145 Aqueous sodium hydroxide (50%) 54 1O Aqueous formaldehyde (50%) 302 Second phenol 151 Second water 196 The first phenol and the sulfuric acid are charged to a stainless steel reactor equipped with means for agitation, cooling and reflux and then heated to 210 F. and held thereat, amid agitation, for about 60 minutes. The first water is then charged followed by thorough mixing. Next charge the sodium hydroxide slowly, maintaining the batch temperature below about 205 F. with cooling and/or refluxing. Check the pH and adjust if necessary to a pH of from 8.59.5. Adjust the batch temperature to below 130 F. and charge the formalde hyde. Heat to about 195200 F., maintaining this temperature for about 1 hour, at which point the second 20 phenol is charged, and then continue heating at said temperature for an additional 2% hours. Then charge the second water and heat at 190200 F. until a 70 F. viscosity of about 50 on the MacMichael d scale is reached. Finally, cool the batch rapidly to about 6070 F. The resulting 40% solid aqueous resin has a pH of about 7.5 and a mol ratio of 1:1.9:0.l9 phenolzformaldehydezsulfuric.

Example V A Douglas fir veneer is uniformly spray coated with about 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet of surface of a sulfuric acid catalyzed (pH:2.2) aqueous alkaline solution of a phenolic resin containing about 42% resin solids by weight and prepared as described in Example III. To the coated veneer is then applied, using a gravity duster, about 70 pounds per 1,000 square feet of surface of a mixture of wood fibers having a bulk density of about 0.065 gms./cc. and a sulfuric acid catalyzed (pH=2.5) resin solution as prepared in Example IV. The wood fiber-phenolic resin mixture contains about 14% resin solids by weight and about 13% water by weight. An overspray of 17.9 pounds of water per 1,000 square feet of surface is then applied. Finally, the entire assembly is hot pressed for about 20 seconds at 360 F. and 200 p.s.i. The overlaid plywood panel obtained exhibits functional and aesthetic properties comparable to those obtained using a non-sulfonated non-acidified phenol-formaldehyde reosle resin and resin containing overspray. However, marked processing advantages are realized in elimination of the over-lay sticking to the press and a greatly reduced press time.

Example VI Example VII Example V is repeated except that the wood fiberphenolic resin mixture contains about 28% resin solids by weight and 26% water by weight and the overspray is omitted. The overlaid veneer obtained exhibits properties comparable to those obtained in Example V.

Example VIII This example shows a comparison of properties of typical overlays and the overlay of this invention.

Example IV Property list Overlay MDO l HDO 1 Welchboard 2 Plywood Abrasion resistance Good Poor Good Poor Fair. Taber-loss in g./1,000 R .0 .445" .055 .750. .145. Surface integrity-Scotch Tape. Good Poor Excellent" Poor Poor. Paint holdout Fair Good do .do. Paint adhesion Excellent Exeellent Fain... Fain. Check propagation resistance o o do Poor- Dent resistance Fair Fair do Fain. Scufi resistance Excellent .do Excellent Poor D Internal boncL... Exceeds sub- Poor, (40- Execcds subdo 110-200 p s r strate. 50) strate. Weatherometer:

Fiber pop-up None None None Moderate Grain raise, topography Slight Slight Slight" None Heavy. Checking None None. None d Do. ASTM D-l047-60T:

Fiber pop-up do ..do do Moderate Grain 1aise,topography Slight... Slight Moderate Slight Do. Checking No11e Do. Blister box, (3 Weeks 1 0 Paint blistering ..do.. Do. Grain raise"... Moderat Do. Checking None Do. Exterior ience durability, 16 months Excellent Fair Poor.

1 Paper impregnated-eonventional medium and high density overlays. 2 Finely divided wood particles (sawdust)conventionally termed Welchboard.

Various types of wood substrates may advantageously be overlaid in accordance with this invention. Plywood is, of course, most commonly treated in this fashion and is of particular utility in this regard. However, particle board is making significant inroads in, e.g., paneling, etc. and may admirably be overlaid in this fashion. Similarly, lumber material may advantageously be overlaid in this fashion. In brief, wood in any shape or form may be employed as the substrate in the practice of this invention. One or more surfaces of the wooden substrate may be overlaid in accordance with this invention. However, in many instances it will not be necessary that all surfaces of the substrate be so treated. For example, except for only exceptional uses, plywood is generally furnished with only one finished face. Similarly, the products of this invention may only require one functional surface for many intended uses, e.g., wall paneling, flooring, counter-tops, etc. In other uses, e.g., as reusable concrete forms, all surfaces may be overlaid.

As heretofore stated, the resins employed in formulating the overlays of this invention may be divided into two classifications in terms of their manner of use in the overlay. For clarity of discussion herein, the thermosetting resin applied to the substrate as a glueline or undercoat has arbitrarily been designated Resin A and the aqueous phenol-formaldehyde resin used in the Wood fiber/phenolic resin mixture has arbitrarily been designated as a B type phenolic resin,

It has been observed that little or no criticality exists as to the nature of Resin A. The examples show the use of a highly alkaline phenolic resin of the type taught in many patents; e.g., Redfern Re. 23,347, Van Epps 2,360,- 376, Stephan et al. 2,437,981, etc. However, equivalent results may be obtained substituting any therrnosetting adhesive resin such as, for example, other phenol-formaldehyde condensates including those described herein as Resin B, aminoplasts such as, e.g., melamine-formaldehyde, urea-formaldehyde, etc., condensates, epoxy resins, proteinaceous adhesives, etc. The resins are generally employed in the form of aqeuous solutions or dispersions. A coverage of at least 0.5 and preferably at least 1 pound, based upon resin solids, per 1,000 square feet of substrate surface has been found desirable to prevent possible delineation of the overlay from the substrate during subsequent use. A commercially practical range of from about 1 to 3 pounds per 1,000 square feet balances cost against performance to provide excellent results. However, similarly excellent results have been observed using pounds, or more, based upon resin solids, per 1,000 square feet.

There is, however, a great deal of criticality in the nature of the B type resin in order that the overlay prepared shall have the desired functional properties. 'Resin B is then an aqueous solution of an alkaline-catalyzed phenol-formaldehyde resole characterized by having a number average molecular weight of from about 105, i.e., monomethylol phenol, to 5,000 and containing an average of from about 1.0 to 3.0 mols, and preferably from about 2.0 to 3.0 mols, of combined formaldehyde per mol of phenol. In a preferred embodiment, sulfonated phenolic resins having a number average molecular weight of up to 5,000 and preferably from about to 350 are employed. As a further refinement, maximum functional properties are obtained using, as Resin B, phenolic resins which have been prepared using milder alkaline, e.g., lime, catalysts which serve to maximize the molar ratio of formaldehyde to phenol in the resin at relatively low molecular weights. In another preferred embodiment the phenolic resin is acidified to a pH of up to 3.

In the wood fiber/ phenolic resin mixture, it is generally preferred to employ from about 5 to 50 weight percent, of resin solids based upon dry wood fiber, of the B type resin. At less than about 5% resin content, the desired functional properties of the finished overlay are not obtained, while at greater than about 50% resin content the mixture becomes diificult to deposit on the substrate. Best performance is obtained using from about 7 to 20 weight percent of resin solids, with optimum results being obtained at about 12 to 14 weight percent.

In various embodiments, Resin B may contain as modi fiers, various polymeric and/or non-polymeric compositions. For example, the addition of an oil or wax to the resin solution improves the water-resistivity as well as the aging, i.e., durability and weathering characteristics of the overlay. Such oil or wax modifiers are particularly pertinent, for example, to the provision of re-usable concrete forms, providing a lubricated surface to aid in separating the form from the concrete Partability may also be provided using soaps, surfactants or other parting agents as modifiers. Aqueous emulsions or suspensions of vinyl or vinylidene polymers such as, e.g., styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers, polyvinyl alcohol polymers, polyvinyl acetate polymers, etc. may be incorporated as modifiers to impart specialized surface properties to the overlay, e.g., flexibility, plasticization, etc.

Turning now to discussion of another critical factor necessary to obtain the desired functional properties, it has been found that not all types of particulate wood can be used. Particulate wood of the type characterized by sawdust and sanderdust, that is, more or less cubical or otherwise regular in shape, cannot be used in the practice of this invention since they fail to provide the functional properties sought. Rather, the wood particles employed in the practice of this invention are fibrous; i.e., dimensionally irregular in the sense of having a single dimension of significantly greater magnitude than the other dimcnsions. Thus, acceptable wood fibers may be visualized as resembling match sticks, wool, strings, etc. For more accurate definition, the acceptable wood fibers are delimited herein by their bulk density, as measured by a method hereinafter set forth, which provides a measurable indication of their shape. Thus, for the purposes of this invention, wood fibers having a bulk density of up to about 0.16 grams/cc. have been found to provide overlays having suitable functional properties. Best results, however, are obtained using wood fibers having a bulk density of 0.10 grams/cc. or less. In the examples contained herein two types of wood fibers have been used for comparative purposes. On the acceptable side, there is used low bulk density wood fibers having a bulk density of about 0.065 grams/ cc. On the unacceptable side, there is used medium bulk density wood particles having a bulk density of about 0.165. When interpreting the results reported herein it must be remembered that the unacceptable wood particles are only slightly outside of the acceptable range and still provide measurable though unacceptable functional properties. They are not to be considered comparable to sawdust or sanderdust which provide considerably worse and totally unacceptable functional properties.

The wood fibers employed in the practice of this invention may be prepared, for example, by defibrating steamed or unsteamed wood chips in a conventional defibrator, e.g., Bauer, Asplund, etc. The defibrator plates may be preset to provide wood fibers of the desired bulk density. While it is preferred to employ wood fibers obtained from soft woods such as, for example, Douglas fir, Hemlock, Pine, Cedar, White Fir, etc., fibers, any available species of wood may be used. Thus, results equivalent to those set forth in the examples are obtained using, for example, Gum, Willow, Poplar, Cherry, Birch, Persimmon, Sycamore, Ash, Elm, Maple, Beech, Hackberry, Oak, Hickory, etc.

The bulk densities delimited herein with respect to the wood fibers are determined according to the following procedure. Five hundred ml. of loosely dispersed wood fibers discharged from an agitator are collected in a 500 ml. graduate. A 100 gram weight having a diameter slightly less than the inside diameter of the graduate is set down lightly on top of the fibers. The graduate is then placed for 1 minute in a vibrator having a displacement of about 0.165 inch and running at a rate of about 1225 oscillations per minute. The volume of wood fibers in the graduate is then noted and the wood fibers are weighed.

With regard to the quantity of wood fiber/phenolic resin mixture employed, it is merely necessary to employ suffieient to form a finished, or consolidated, overlay having sufiicient thickness to provide adequate functional properties. For example, it has been observed that a total consolidated overlay thickness of at least about 6 mils is desired to provide the requisite strength and other functional properties. As a practical matter, there appears to be no apparent advantage in providing overlays having a total consolidated thickness in excess of about 50 mils. A range of from about 10 to mils and particularly about 13 to 15 mils appears to be preferable.

At this point, it would be well to mention moisture content, which has been found to play an important role, and which is interrelated with the molecular weight of the B type resin. The interdependence of the total moisture content with the molecular weight of Resin B is such that total overlay moisture contents falling within the following prescribed maximums and minimums, as measured just prior to hot-pressing and based upon dry wood fiber, should be observed:

Mn mmlmum niolsture content 1o Mn maxlmum moisture content= where Mn represents the number average molecular weight of the B type rcsins used. Moisture, if any, present in the wood veneers of the substrate is not included in calculating the total overlay moisture content.

Thus, a total overlay moisture content of from about 15 to weight percent, based upon dry wood fiber, has been found to be desirable. At less than the prescribed minimum moisture, the finished overlay exhibits poor surface integrity and low abrasion resistance. Moreover, the surface lacks the requisite strength. At more than the prescribed maximum moisture content the wood becomes darkened and there is excessive grain raise. Preferably, total overlay moisture contents of from about 18 to 25% are employed.

Resin A, i.e., the glueline or undercoating resin, may be applied by any conventional technique. Good results have been obtained using a spray coating technique. However, equivalent results are obtainable using other conventional coating methods such as, e.g., curtain coating, glue spreader, felt roll, etc. It has been observed that the coated panel may be set aside or stored for several hours or even overnight before proceeding to the next step. Therefore, it is not necessary in the practice of this invention to endeavor to control or minimize drying of the glueline prior to deposition of the wood fiber mat.

The wood fiber/ phenolic resin mixture is then deposited upon the coated surface. Excellent results have been obtained by felting out a uniform mat from a conventional air-borne fiber felter. In variations on this embodiment, the mat may be felted on the coated panel or more preferably, may be felted on a vacuum screen and then transferred to the coated substrate. Various transferal methods are known to the art; e.g., vacuum transfer units.

In one variation the felted mat may be rolled up, i.e., similar to batting, and later unrolled upon the coated substrate. Other means for securing deposition of the wood fiber/phenolic resin mixture on the coated substrate will, of course, be obvious to those skilled in the art.

The Water overcoating, if applied, may be applied by any conventional technique. Again, good results have been obtained using spray coating. However, other means, e.g., curtain coatings, etc., capable of depositing relatively uniform coatings without disrupting the fibrous structure may be employed.

The overlay is then consolidated under pressure and heat. It may be well, at this point, to refer back to earlier comments made with respect to the moisture content of the overlay. It is desirable to hot press the structure within a period of time such that the total moisture content is within the heretofore delimited range. More preferably, however, hot pressing is effected while the moisture concentration in the overcoating is greater than that in the wood fiber/phenolic resin mat. This requires pressing before the overlay structure reaches equilibrium with respect to moisture. Conventional plywood pressing conditions are employed, but it is to be understood that this invention is not limited in this regard. Typical pressing temperatures are from 340 to 320 F. In general, the pressing cycle employed can be considerably shorter than that used in preparing conventional high density overlays.

The functional overlays provided by the practice of this invention are possessed of a multitude of desirable surface properties. For example, surfaces which are resistant to abrasion, water, grain-raise, checking alkalies, physical damage during handling, etc. are obtained. These features,

when combined with the excellent tensile strength of the surface, renders plywood panels, so constructed, suitable for use as, e.g., reusable concrete forms, structural panels for home and industrial use, etc. It has also been observed that the surfaces obtained require no further preparation for finishing with, e.g., paint, baking enamels, etc. In this latter regard, the surfaces exhibit good adhesion, good paint hold-out, low permeability, superior surface integrity and strength to resist blistering and to provide a smooth grain-free surface. However, with regard to paint hold-out, the additional use of a paper sheet in the overlay provides more uniform results. If desired, decorative thermoplastic films may be applied. These panels will also find significant use in applications wherein the surfaces are subjected to wear; e.g., counter-tops, floors, subfiooring, etc.

The method of the instant invention offers the processing advantage over the method taught in copending application by eliminating the use of resin in the over-spray and eliminating sticking of the overlay to the press or press cauls during the hot pressing step without adversely affecting the improved functional and aesthetic properties of the prepared overlay.

The advantage of employing a sulfonated phenolic resin is that the solubility of the resin in the aqueous solution is improved which results in greater uniformity of the resin and the wood fibers.

The acid catalysis of the phenolic resin during preparation of the overlay offers the marked advantage of greatly reduced press time required in manufacturing the overlay and permits the overlay to be formed on only a veneer substrate as an in-process article which can be stored, handled or transported before use as a ply in the manufacture of laminated wood products. The rapid partial cure of the acidified phenolic resin permits sufiicient consolidation and holding of the wood fibers together to obtain the latter advantage.

It is obvious that many variations may be made in the products and processes set forth above without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of making a wood product having a functional overlay thereon, which method comprises:

(a) applying to the surface of a wood substrate a coating of an aqueous thermosetting resin solution in proportions of from about 0.5 to pounds, based upon resin solids, per 1,000 square feet of substrate surface,

(b) applying to the coated surface a layer of a mixture comprising (1) wood fibers having a bulk density of up to about 0.16 grams/co, and (2) from about 5 to 50 weight percent of resin solids based upon dry wood fibers, of an aqueous phenol-formaldehyde resole resin solution,

(c) applying to the surface of the fibrous layer up to pounds of water per 1,000 square feet of substrate surface and (d) subjecting the resulting assembly to heat and pressure to consolidate the assembly; said aqueous phenolformaldehyde resole resin solution employed in step (b) being independently selected aqueous solutions of an alkaline catalyzed phenol-formaldehyde con- 10 densate having a number average molecular weight of up to about 5,000 and containing an average of from 1.3 to 3 mols of combined formaldehyde per mol of phenol; the total moisture content of the several components of the overlay as applied in steps (a), (b) and (c) and as measured just prior to hotpressing, and expressed by percent by weight of Water based upon the dry wood fiber being within the range of from about minimum moisture content equals to about maximum moisture content equals where Mn is the number average molecular weight of the aqueous phenol-formaldehyde resole resins employed in step (b).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said aqueous phenolformaldehyde resole resin solution is an aqueous solution of a sulfonated phenol-formaldehyde resole resin.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said aqueous phenolformaldehyde resole resin solution is an aqueous solution of a sulfonated phenol-formaldehyde resole resin having a number average molecular weight of from about to about 350.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said aqueous phenol-formaldehyde resole resin solution is acidified to a pH of up to 3.

5. The method of claim 1; wherein step (c) from 15 to 20 pounds of water per 1,000 square feet of substrate surface is applied, said aqueous phenol-formaldehyde resole resin solution is an aqueous solution of a sulfonated phenol-formaldehyde having a molecular weight of from 280 to 320 and said solution is acidified to a pH of from about 1 to about 3.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,389,418 11/1945 DAlelio 161262 2,414,415 1/ 1947 Rhodes 161262 2,606,138 8/1952 Welch 117148 3,180,784 4/1965 Meiler 161-262 3,414,461 12/1968 Brown et al. 161151 MORRIS SUSSMAN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

